check to ensure your drive jumpers are properly configured, go into the BIOS and reset to factory defaults. Ensure all connections are properly seated. if you have to take the machine apart and clean and run the motherboard with necessary components on a bench that isnt metal.

check to ensure your drive jumpers are properly configured, go into the BIOS and reset to factory defaults. Ensure all connections are properly seated. if you have to take the machine apart and clean and run the motherboard with necessary components on a bench that isnt metal.

check to ensure your drive jumpers are properly configured, go into the BIOS and reset to factory defaults. Ensure all connections are properly seated. if you have to take the machine apart and clean and run the motherboard with necessary components on a bench that isnt metal.

Click to expand...

Haven't tried any new data cables will try that. Doubt it's the Psu because it was used in a different computer before fine. Tomorrow I will tear it all down and re-apply thermal paste. In the mean time I'll read the link and swap cables.

I managed to install Ubunut 9.04. Why XP and Ubunutu 10.10 would not install I have no clue.

This eliminates the possibility of the dvd drive, hard drive, and RAM being bad. The minute I log in to Ubunutu it turns off. It happened twice in a row.

I'm beginning to feel it might be the power supply, which is odd because it was used in a different pc in the past without an issue. I'll do some more tinkering tomorrow as it's 12 am right now and im not in teh mood to keep messing with it.

the sempron idles around 53 degrees Celsius and hits around 61 on load. are these temps normal?

Installing XP Pro I get 0x0000007B
Installing Ubuntu 10.10 it turns off

I've tried everything. I initially thought the CPU (939 Sempron 3700+) was overheating, but the heatsink is cold and there's plenty of ventilation CPU temps hover around 60 degrees Celsius.

Definitely not the RAM as I've tried with each stick of RAM individually.

Two different hard drives, same thing.

Two different optical drives, same thing.

Any suggestions before I just toss it?

Click to expand...

Do a bios reset and start from the default setting. If that dosn't work then you have a hardware problem. If that work then start whit setting cpu reboot then ram and so on till you get to the problem.

I'm beginning to feel it might be the power supply, which is odd because it was used in a different pc in the past without an issue.

Click to expand...

Just because it worked in another (possible lower power!?) PC doesn't mean it's okay. I'd definitely take a look.
Also check the capacitors in the PSU (where all the wire-salad exits the PSU). If they're domed on top or there's stuff oozing out, there's your problem.

Tried known working power supply out of my main PC same problem. Swapped power supplies when I woke up. Turned it on and it powered off while loading Ubuntu. It's very cold in my room and was off all night...no way is it overheating.

It's not the PSU.
Not the hard drive.
Not the RAM.

Gonna pull the board and re-apply theremal paste/re-seat CPU. If it don't work it's getting trashed.

So the south bridge gets extremely hot. Much hotter than the north bridge and cpu heat sink. I thought this was normal. I asked myself why it only turned off while installing the OS or using the OS and not in the bios without a hard drive.

I removed the south bridge heat sink and I think i've found the culprit.

So the south bridge gets extremely hot. Much hotter than the north bridge and cpu heat sink. I thought this was normal. I asked myself why it only turned off while installing the OS or using the OS and not in the bios without a hard drive.

I removed the south bridge heat sink and I think i've found the culprit.

So the south bridge gets extremely hot. Much hotter than the north bridge and cpu heat sink. I thought this was normal. I asked myself why it only turned off while installing the OS or using the OS and not in the bios without a hard drive.

I removed the south bridge heat sink and I think i've found the culprit.

Alright I'll try that and give an update. Do I need specific type of thermal paste for the sb or any that goes on a cpu fine?

Click to expand...

What you put on the CPU will be fine. Just clean both the Chip and HS really good. Also what is that on them caps? They look like they are leaking.
Clean them off with Alcohol as well. And keep an eye on them too.

Medical grade isopropyl rubbing alcohol 91% to clean off all old thermal paste off SB and heatsink...use a smaller amount of paste when reapplying to SB side only.

Those caps with the brown stickey ooze.. clean each one and mark the ones you cleaned with a Sharpie permanent marker pen... so you know where you've been. They may be bad, they should be clean. Did someone spill soda?

I highly doubt it would end up only on the tops of those caps and nowhere else.
Combination of junk caps and a hot-running nvidia chipset with crappy thermal pads instead of proper grease. Only intels pink gunk on their chipset heatsinks is worse. Consistency (& stickyness) of chewing gum.

Not surpising considering it's a gateway. bottom of the barrel junk.
Elite capacitors are known to dry up without showing any visible signs of failure.

I highly doubt it would end up only on the tops of those caps and nowhere else.
Combination of junk caps and a hot-running nvidia chipset with crappy thermal pads instead of proper grease. Only intels pink gunk on their chipset heatsinks is worse. Consistency (& stickyness) of chewing gum.

Not surpising considering it's a gateway. bottom of the barrel junk.
Elite capacitors are known to dry up without showing any visible signs of failure.

Click to expand...

Thats what happens to OEMs normally.

My Grandfather had 2 Skt A Motherboards and I noticed one had buldging caps, I told him those are bad and he said nonsense and ran it and it kept crashing then finally failed to boot at all so he scrapped the motherboard